Information Architecture for the World Wide Web

Book Description

Some web sites "work" and some don't. Good web site consultants
know that you can't just jump in and start writing HTML, the same
way you can't build a house by just pouring a foundation and
putting up some walls. You need to know who will be using the site,
and what they'll be using it for. You need some idea of what you'd
like to draw their attention to during their visit. Overall, you
need a strong, cohesive vision for the site that makes it both
distinctive and usable. Information Architecture for the World
Wide Web is about applying the principles of architecture and
library science to web site design. Each web site is like a public
building, available for tourists and regulars alike to breeze
through at their leisure. The job of the architect is to set up the
framework for the site to make it comfortable and inviting for
people to visit, relax in, and perhaps even return to someday. Most
books on web development concentrate either on the aesthetics or
the mechanics of the site. This book is about the framework that
holds the two together. With this book, you learn how to design web
sites and intranets that support growth, management, and ease of
use. Special attention is given to:

The process behind architecting a large, complex site

Web site hierarchy design and organization

Information Architecture for the World Wide Web is for
webmasters, designers, and anyone else involved in building a web
site. It's for novice web designers who, from the start, want to
avoid the traps that result in poorly designed sites. It's for
experienced web designers who have already created sites but
realize that something "is missing" from their sites and want to
improve them. It's for programmers and administrators who are
comfortable with HTML, CGI, and Java but want to understand how to
organize their web pages into a cohesive site. The authors are two
of the principals of Argus Associates, a web consulting firm. At
Argus, they have created information architectures for web sites
and intranets of some of the largest companies in the United
States, including Chrysler Corporation, Barron's, and Dow Chemical.